Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose case has become a notable example in President Donald Trump’s strict immigration enforcement efforts, intends to seek asylum in the United States, his lawyers stated on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old Abrego Garcia appeared in court to contest the Trump Administration’s attempt to deport him to Uganda, a nation unfamiliar to him. His legal representatives contended he would face persecution and torture if sent to the African country.
Abrego Garcia was taken into custody at the ICE Baltimore Field Office on Monday. This occurred after he was called to the office merely two days following his release from pre-trial custody for human trafficking charges.
This detention followed a court filing in which his lawyers accused the Trump Administration of attempting to “coerce” their client into pleading guilty to criminal human trafficking charges, or else face deportation to Uganda.
Abrego Garcia’s legal team reported that the federal government offered a final plea agreement shortly before his release from pre-trial custody. In this offer, prosecutors proposed deporting him to Costa Rica if he agreed to stay in jail until his trial and admit guilt to charges of illegally transporting undocumented immigrants across the U.S.
While his lawyers refused to keep him incarcerated, they consented to present the plea bargain offer to their client. However, the court document indicates that “within minutes” of his Friday release from a Tennessee jail, Abrego’s legal representation was notified by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that he would be deported to Uganda and “instructed him to report to ICE’s Baltimore Field Office Monday.” Upon his arrival, he was re-detained.
During his court appearance on Wednesday, Abrego Garcia stated his preference to be sent to Costa Rica if deportation were to occur.
Abrego Garcia’s legal team asserts that he would face potential peril if deported to Uganda. Although Costa Rica provided assurances of refugee status and safety for the individual from Maryland, Uganda has not offered similar protections should he be deported to that country.
Despite a direct court order forbidding his removal to El Salvador, Abrego Garcia was deported in March. The Trump Administration disregarded multiple court directives, including one from the Supreme Court, which mandated his return to the U.S.
He was ultimately brought back to the U.S., where he was arrested in June in Tennessee on human smuggling charges, following evidence from body camera footage from a 2022 traffic stop.
The Trump Administration has alleged that Abrego Garcia is affiliated with the MS-13 gang, a claim he refutes.
Abrego Garcia’s attorneys initiated a lawsuit in federal court to contest his detention and possible deportation to Uganda, seeking “a fair trial” in immigration court.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis determined that the U.S. government is prohibited from removing Abrego Garcia from the country until she rules on the core case, scheduling an evidentiary hearing for October 6.